Fattoush Panzanella Salad Recipe, Day 19 of the 30 Day Self-Love Detox Challenge

             

Helloodles!

Okay, so today I am giving you my version of this delectable Lebanese fattouch salad. I posted a link from another blog previously for the third menu for the 30 day self-love detox challenge, which was very different from mine. The reason being is that my recipe uses a few things that were technically not allowed during the initial detox phases & like an ass, I forgot to take pictures and write the recipe out when I made it. This recipe will be alright as you begin to reincorporate foods after your juice fast, which we will be discussing in tomorrow's post

I wanted you to have a recipe for that previous menu that was good but this recipe takes everything up a notch to great! 

I have a love affair with Panzanella, it's a simple Italian salad that uses bread and mixes it with salad and dressing which sops in to give it sooooooo much flavour. The bread is usually dry, often day or two old and always gluten filled. I have played around using gluten-free breads and have come to enjoy Panzanella once more. I had to share this recipe with my special twist because you will absolutely fall for it and so will those you serve it to.

                

A little about Sumac spice first because one cannot make fattouch without it. Sumac spice which is not to be confused with poison sumac, adds a nice acidic and earthy taste to foods. Just remember: Sumac spice=good, poison sumac=no touchie! I found this info. graphic on Pinterest. 

                                     

I purchased sumac at our local Lebanese market. It was $3.99 for 300 grams, really not expensive for the amount we got. We searched our local grocers, bulk barn & small Asian market but they didn't carry it, so I suggest you seek out local middle eastern markets to find this gem.

This salad was boomtastic! 

It is also mega easy and vegan, it took all of 15 minutes to assemble, that includes the dressing. You are going to truly enjoy the vibrant acidic and inviting taste of this salad. I shamelessly scarfed it in no time, so did the others I served it to; and they kept saying how good it was. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. I like to make the dressing a day or two in advance and then assemble the salad and throw the pre-made dressing on. It's a little less fuss and nice to not have to deal with making after a long day at work.

If you prefer to go completely rawfood, or no carb, feel free to omit or change the gluten-free bread for raw croutons or crackers you have on hand.

Regular fattouch salad uses raw onions, I have a horrible time digesting raw onions and am not really a big fan of them either. So what is a girl to do? Well, I decided to use an ingredient I have on hand in my fridge at all times. Pickled red onions, homemade- if you please; and I so happen to have posted this recipe earlier. The link is here, I recommend making them 72 hours in advance for the right flavours to come out. That way they will balance well with this salad, if you cannot wait, then by all means use the same amount of thinly sliced red onions but in their raw un-pickled state. The taste will be good but not great, in my humble opinion. Truly, it's worth the extra effort of making the pickled onions but do what works best for you.

http://thekinkycoconut.blogspot.ca/2016/03/pickled-red-onions-in-ginger-juniper.html 

                                

                 

FATTOUCH PANZANELLA WITH PICKLED ONIONS

Serves 4 side portions or 2 full portions

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup fresh curly parsley, rinsed & chopped finely

1 Head romaine lettuce, cleaned and chopped

1 Red pepper, seeded & chopped

1 Large tomato, seeded and chopped

3 Baby cucumbers, chopped

1/4 Cup pickled onions or thinly sliced raw red onion (pickled onion recipe is best, see above link)

Zest of 1/2 lemon

2x Gluten free whole grain bread toasted well on each side, cubed

Method: 

-In a large enough bowl combine all ingredients, except toasted bread cubes and pickled onions.

-Add dressing, (recipe follows) and toss vegetables, then add bread cubes & toss.

-Add pickled onions last, toss once more and allow to sit 5 minutes.

-Serve immediately.

DRESSING 

Ingredients:

1 clove garlic, pressed

6 Fresh mint leaves, chopped finely

1/4 Cup Cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp Red wine vinegar

1 1/4 tsp Ground sumac spice

1/2 tsp Dried oregano

1/2 tsp Dried mint

1/2 tsp Herbamare or seasoned sea salt

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Method:

-In a shaker, add all ingredients and shake until well combined. 

-Use over salad right away or kept refrigerated until ready to use.

                               

                   

Salad duo: Lime Lentil & Basil Salad, Hemp Seed, Tomato, & Cucumber Salad

All right boys & girls, today I am starting a new chapter in my life and it has got me super psyched!
I have loads of positives happening and part of that is getting back to eating really well, along with exercise-injury appropriate, getting treatments for said injuries, and other exciting stuff that I will talk about when things are more set-up and ready to go.
I have gotten into the habit of preparing 4 days worth of food in advance because when I am making moves, like many of you, time is of the essence and after a long day, I just can't make a whole leap of food for the next day. Warmer weather makes it so much easier on the schedule and I appreciate the lighter fare, so in keeping with the healthier focus, I am giving you two salads; instead of just one. I have been making both of these since my strict vegetarian days and started replacing cous-cous with hemp seeds when gluten allergies required it. I have tried casava cous-cous and have found that I honestly do not like it but if you do, by all means, enjoy. Today is a special day for me and I am very grateful for all the good God has blessed our lives with, so I am taking a moment before writing the recipes to wish you all a beautiful day and praying for nothing but good things for each and every one of you.

HEMP SEED, TOMATO & CUCUMBER SALAD:

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Hemp Heart's
I English cucumber. peeled and de-seeded (Taking out the seeds makes cucumber easier to digest because the seeds contain a lot of cellulose that is difficult, sometimes painful to digest.)
2-3 Vine Tomatoes, chopped
1 Bunch Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 Lemon zested and juiced
3 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil


Method:
-In a bowl, combine all listed ingredients and stir gently.
-Add salt & pepper to taste, then chill for 30 minutes before serving.
Salad must be eaten fresh the same day.








5 INGREDIENT LENTIL LIME & BASIL SALAD:

Ingredients:
2 Cans cooked, rinsed, and drained lentils of your choice.
1 Bunch scallion (green spring onion), chopped
Juice & zest of 2 limes
12 Fresh basil leaves, sliced into a chiffonade (see pic below)
1/4 Cup Extra Virgin olive oil

Method:
-In a bowl gently mix all ingredients together.
-Add salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste.
-Chill 4 hours or overnight, stir gently and taste for enough salt and pepper before serving. Add a bit more if needed.

Salad lasts 3 days in fridge, not suitable for freezing.














I hope you enjoy making these, please leave your comments below and don't forget to subscribe!

Day 8 Self-Love Detox Challenge, Full menu w/ Recipes Avocado & Caper Scallion Salad

Good Morning Health Warriors!

We have gone through an entire week of our detoxing and self-love  challenge already, pat yourself on the shoulder and be proud.

As promised, a new menu with some additional juices and smoothies, as well as delicious recipes. You will notice that there is no poultry in this weeks menu, (with the exception of eggs at breakfast) and we are going pescatarian (fish based) along with vegetarian/vegan choices. Meals are delicious with some serious flavours and new ingredient's to try out. I am excited about the Jack fruit recipe, I have been doing quite a bit of research on this vegan meat/soy alternative and am psyched to test it out. We will be exploring this new wonder meat replacement together. Purchase Jack fruit at your local Asian market, ours has them fresh but I believe you can use frozen as well. 

I added these 4 juices and I would like you to incorporate any from Day 1 that you enjoyed or may have found on another site that you want to try. Breakfast & snacks repeat for week 2, it's not complicated, they are balanced and makes life easier. I included all from week 1 for breakfast foods except the smoothie recipes, I did add the link back to day 1 for those. 

You will have to do some leg work by going back so you can get to the juice & smoothie recipes once more. I prefer to cut & paste them on a word document, print it, and keep them in a special smoothies/juice binder. I refer to it often and add anything fun I come across for other recipes on Pinterest or other blogs. Do what works for you.

http://thekinkycoconut.blogspot.ca/search?updated-max=2016-04-02T06:30:00-04:00&max-results=1&start=2&by-date=false

   

                

           

Breakfast is usually between 6am & 8am depending on my schedule and days for working out. Workout mornings are always earlier. 

Always take a probiotic 15 minutes before eating. You want a very high dose of probiotics, you can take them in capsule form or as I prefer in liquid form. I use a probiotic called Bio-k, it's wonderful!

All breakfast items do not have the addition of any fats, that means no butter or margarine or oils, of ANY kind. Nut and seed butters are acceptable as long as they are unsweetened and all natural, organic is best, and roasted is fine.

BREAKFAST CHOICES: (Choose what you feel to eat on a given day or follow the list in chronological order if you prefer, just DO NOT skip breakfast!)  

Probiotic 15 minutes before every breakfast!

Day 1) 15 Minutes before eating, 1 cup boiled water with a slice of fresh lemon & a thin slice of fresh ginger.

-2 Whole grain, gluten-free toast with 2 Tbsp(max) of nut or seed butter of choice

-1 Red or Pink Grapefruit       

-Freshly made juice of choice 

-Decaff, green tea or herbal tea     

-Fat flush water 1 hour after eating & continue drinking Spring or filtered water throughout the day.

 

Probiotic 15 minutes before every breakfast!

Day 2) 15 Minutes before eating, 1 cup boiled water with a slice of fresh lemon & a thin slice of fresh ginger.

(Day 2 requires more calories as you are training and walking this day) 

-Smoothie with no banana in recipe    

-Freshly made juice of choice    

-1 Hard or soft boiled egg 

-1 Whole grain, gluten-free toast

-1/2 Banana with 1/2 Cup lactose-free, probiotic, unsweetened plain yogurt 

-Fat flush water 1 hour after eating & continue drinking Spring or filtered water throughout the day.

 

Probiotic 15 minutes before every breakfast!

Day 3) 15 Minutes before eating 1 cup boiled water with a slice of fresh lime & a thin slice of fresh ginger.

-Freshly made juice of choice

-1/2-1 Cup sugar-free, plain, gluten-free oats cooked and served with berries (recipe link below), 1/2 tsp ground flax, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, & 1/2 Cup unsweetened almond milk 

-1 Apple

-Fat flush water 1 hour after eating & continue drinking Spring or filtered water throughout the day.

 

Probiotic 15 minutes before every breakfast! 

                                                                                                                                    

Day 4) 15 Minutes before eating 1 cup boiled water with a slice of fresh lime & a thin slice of fresh ginger.  

(Day 4 requires more calories as you are training and walking this day)  

-Green Smoothie 

-3 Coconut flour paleo pancakes w/sliced banana & a light drizzle of maple syrup (recipe link below)

-Decaff. green tea

-Freshly made juice of choice       

-Fat flush water 1 hour after eating   & continue drinking Spring or filtered water throughout the day. 

Probiotic 15 minutes before every breakfast!      

Day 5) 15 Minutes before eating 1 cup boiled water with a slice of fresh lime & a thin slice of fresh ginger.      

-Freshly made juice of choice  

-11/2 Cup fruit salad made up of 4 of your favourite fruits-do not add sweetener of any kind

-Serve with 2 Tbsp of cashew Kream (recipe link below)

-Fat flush water 1 hour after eating & continue drinking Spring or filtered water throughout the day.

 

Probiotic 15 minutes before every breakfast!

Day 6) 15 Minutes before eating, 1 cup boiled water with a slice of fresh lemon & a thin slice of fresh ginger.

-Freshly made juice of choice    

 -Decaff. green tea 

-Millet with oranges (Wholefoods Market recipe follows below)

-Handful almonds

-Fat flush water 1 hour after eating   & continue drinking Spring or filtered water throughout the day.

 

Probiotic 15 minutes before every breakfast!

Day 7) 15 Minutes before eating, 1 cup boiled water with a slice of fresh lemon & a thin slice of fresh ginger.

(Day 7 requires more calories as you are training and walking this day) 

-Smoothie

-Freshly made juice of choice

      

-2 Poached eggs  

     

-2 Whole grain, gluten-free toast.

-Fat flush water 1 hour after eating & continue drinking Spring or filtered water throughout the day

If you do not know how to poach an egg, Youtube has videos galore. Here is a link to a Jamie Oliver one that shows you how to poach an egg 3 ways:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAWduxoCgVk 

 

Probiotic 15 minutes before every breakfast!    

Day 8) 15 Minutes before eating 1 cup boiled water with a slice of fresh lime & a thin slice of fresh ginger.         

-Freshly made juice of choice

-Raw vegan cereal with 1 fresh cut mango or 1 banana, serve with unsweetened almond milk (Recipe links follow below)  

-Half of an avocado with herb seasoned salt such as Herbamare or pink sea salt (1/4 tsp max)

-Fat flush water 1 hour after eating & continue drinking Spring or filtered water throughout the day

http://thekinkycoconut.blogspot.ca/2013/06/clean-eating-brekkie-porridge.html 

http://thekinkycoconut.blogspot.ca/2015/03/paleo-sunday-morning-pancakes.html 

http://thekinkycoconut.blogspot.ca/2013/03/gluten-free-raw-vegan-cashew-kream.html  

http://thekinkycoconut.blogspot.ca/2015/03/buckwheat-krispies-recipe.html   (cereal)

http://thekinkycoconut.blogspot.ca/2015/03/maple-blueberry-muffin-raw-cereal.html                    (2nd cereal option)

Millet Breakfast Cereal with Mandarin Oranges and Dates

 Ingredients: 

• 2/3 cup uncooked millet
• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cup cups orange juice
• 4 large dates, pitted and chopped
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 teaspoon green cardamom pods
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup canned Mandarin oranges (canned in water), drained

  

Method: 

Toast millet in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and just golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl, cover with cold water and rub millet grains with your hands for about 5 seconds. Transfer to a strainer, rinse for 1 minute then drain millet well.

Put drained millet into a small pot. Add water, orange juice, dates, cinnamon, cardamom and salt and bring to boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed and millet is tender, about 40 minutes. Remove and discard cinnamon and cardamom then stir in mandarin oranges, spoon into bowls and serve.

Nutritional Info: 

Per Serving: 210 calories (25 from fat), 2.5g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 5mg cholesterol, 40mg sodium, 43g carbohydrates, (5 g dietary fiber, 18g sugar), 5g protein. 

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/millet-breakfast-cereal-mandarin-oranges-and-dates

Here's an awesome chart from Buzzfeed for egg cooking times:

                                    

 This snack list is perfect, it's exactly what I go for and am passing it along to you. It is brought to us from the lovely Dana McDonald. The only thing I change is the Ezekiel bread which contains gluten, I swap it for raw crackers or gluten-free whole grain bread. As always no starchy carbs after 2:30pm.

https://rebeldietitian.us/eat-clean-snacks/ 

                *Just make sure your nut or seed butters are ALWAYS natural and sugar-free! Honey needs to be organic, raw, and unpasteurized as well.

I am including links to some amazing protein and fat bomb recipes, I make 2 types per week & keep them in my freezer. These are my quick energy boosting craving squashers. You should add them to your prepared snacks. As for the gluten-free, sweet & savoury crackers, I will link those too but they were in the prep posts. They are Rawfood vegan and require dehydrating, that's why I have them already made in the advance cleanse prep but you can do them any time; just know they take about 24 hours to dehydrate in an Excalibur.

 

DO NOT FORGET TO ALWAYS TAKE YOUR DIGESTIVE ENZYMES 15 MINUTES BEFORE EVERY MEAL!

                   

DO NOT FORGET TO ALWAYS TAKE YOUR DIGESTIVE ENZYMES 15 MINUTES BEFORE EVERY MEAL!

                     

You may have fruits as dessert.

This is the link to the creamy avocado pasta recipe:

                                     

http://www.runningtothekitchen.com/zucchini-pasta-with-avocado-cream-sauce/

This is the link to the  gremolata recipe: (Steam string beans until just fork tender)
                          

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-gremolata-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-193008
                            

This is the link to the recipe for the black bean soup:

                           

http://thekinkycoconut.blogspot.ca/2016/04/day-7-self-love-detox-cleanse-garden.html  

The link to the shrimp & asparagus stir-fry recipe: (Use gluten-free soy sauce & replace the sugar with maple syrup or honey)

                                                  

http://homecookingmemories.com/shrimp-asparagus-stir-fry-lemon-sauce/

                                     

The link to the Chana & spinach  aloo curry:(do not add the Parmesan cheese to it!) I like to steam or boil some plain sugar-snap pea's until they are fork tender and serve them as a side in place of rice. I do not eat rice with potatoes, one starch is more than enough. Above is the picture of my dish and below is the link to the site I found for an authentic recipe, with the pic of how that one looks.

                                           

                            

                                  

http://plantbasedfamilydownunder.com/2014/06/03/chana-saag-aloo-indian-spiced-chickpeas-spinach-and-potatoes/ 

The link to the tuna salad with dressing: Put 1 head romaine chopped in a bowl, with 1 grated carrot, 1 chopped cucumber, 1 chopped tomato and a can of flaked white tuna in water(drained). Add the dressing and mix, if you are taking it to work for lunch the next day, make the salad doubled, and only add tuna and dressing the next day, to your second portion; just before eating.

 http://thekinkycoconut.blogspot.ca/2015/02/garlicky-herb-dressing-on-tuna-salad.html

                            

Recipe link for spicy chipotle jack fruit tacos: (Use gluten-free small tortillas)

                                

http://www.veganricha.com/2015/09/spicy-chipotle-garlic-jackfruit-tacos.html   

For the spice slathered salmon or trout, I use the same spice slather as for my chicken, it's just as good. I score the fish and rub the slather on the fish, then I refrigerate it for 15-30 minutes before cooking the fish at 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish filet. I am putting the slather link here, just ignore the chicken and use the recommended fish instead:

http://thekinkycoconut.blogspot.ca/2015/03/spice-slathered-chicken.html

This is an idea for the sweet potatoes: 

                                     

 

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/oven_baked_sweet_potato_fries/   

I am posting this new recipe for an amaze bombs avo salad that we were crackers about! I believe it will be one you will be happy to add to your roster of healthy recipes, the avocado also helps make it filling and gives you healthy fats.

                             

AVOCADO & CAPER SCALLION SALAD

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Ripe avocado, sliced

2 Tbsp Scallion (green spring onion) thinly sliced greens

1 Tbsp Capers in brine, chopped

1/2-1 Head romaine lettuce chopped

3 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp Caper brine liquid

1 Tbsp Lemon juice

1/2 tsp Fresh cracked pepper

1 Tbsp Black Gomasio (link is below)

Method:

-Place lettuce in bowl, gently add avocado.

-Add all other ingredients to a small bowl, stir then add to salad and gently toss.

-Serve immediately

                            

                            

                            

                            

                   

Gomasio recipe can be found at this link from a previous prep post:

http://thekinkycoconut.blogspot.ca/2016/03/day-2-prep-3-condiment-recipes-for-30.html

                            

I ate this salad twice and with some yum-scrum hummus on a piece of toast. It was a great combo!

                           

I made these pumpkin spice crackers which I cannot get enough of as a snack. I eat them with really cold almond milk, I know pumpkin season is technically over but we have just had a snow fall and temperature drops last night and we are in April! I say that pumpkin spice still has a place at my table. Here is the link for that, I posted it earlier this past week:

http://thekinkycoconut.blogspot.ca/2016/04/raw-vegan-pumpkin-spice-crackers-day-5.html

                              

Remember to follow the rules for cheat day!

CHEAT DAY!  

Yes, you have a day to enjoy food but there are ground rules:

No's from the list still apply especially the No fried food's/junk/gluten, but you have some exceptions- dark chocolate & coffee in small amounts.

You may have dessert, as long as it falls under the category of being made without any refined sugars of any sort. I recommend seeking out Paleo foods and or vegan/raw vegan.There are plenty of treats in both food categories. I like healthy sushi on my cheat day and some salted dark chocolate.This is a cheat day that stays within healthy guidelines, trust me, if you veer off too far and eat stuff that is on the No lists, you will find out the hard way how unpleasant it it. 

I know from experience, when I came off a cleanse once, I ate foods that were too rich and unhealthy, in very small amounts and only at one meal. It was wretched but I quickly came to understand that eating healthy, clean, wholefoods, was something my body appreciated and loved; it quickly grew to respond violently to anything toxic-which is good. You need to listen to your body before, during, and after you eat. If you have a negative reaction, you may be suffering from a sensitivity or allergy to something. Try not to eat too many things that can trigger responses, you want to be completely aware of what you are eating and easily pin point any offenders. It is common during and after an elimination detox phase to finally find the culprit of what ails you, especially when it comes to allergies/sensitivities. Stay vigilant and record any reactions that make you feel even slightly off. From personal experience, stomach swelling/bloat and headaches along with eczema flares and tiredness are strong indicator's, and I am happy that I found out early on; as I was able to avoid more serious health damage thanks to elimination detoxing.

MODERATION IS YOUR BEST FRIEND! Cheat days are great, it's important to let loose and reward yourself for sticking to goals. (Btw, rewards can be a new book or massage, manicure, etc. It does not have to be food centered.) Just remember that it is not a free-for-all & that you are not supposed to be undoing all the hard work you put into this, in one day. You are to enjoy it without guilt and your reward for all your hard work is not supposed to be bad food centered. This is just a loosening of the reigns so you can feel less constrained and appreciate the joys of food. You are LEARNING to have a new relationship with food and yourself, don't blow it by making choices you will regret. Breathe and smile, this is a day for you.

I will post a new menu list in time for you to make yourself more food & get groceries to be prepared for the week to come, so don't forget to come back and to subscribe so you get your notices in your in-box.

You will notice that there is only a grocery list this week for the first four juices, I have done this on purpose. 

                                    

Part of self-love is self-care, and I believe in guiding others by helping them get through the first steps; but they also need to be able to do for themselves. It is part of spreading your wings. I can teach you something but you need to decide that you want to fly. 

You are now responsible for gathering the recipes & writing up a grocery list. If you are not sure just go back to Day 1 Official launch of the 30 Day Self-Love Detox Challenge to have a guideline. It will obviously be different ingredients as the recipes are different, except for breakfasts. This is not something to be upset or feel overwhelmed about. Self-care means you learn how to do the things that you struggled with, never knew or understood. You can and will begin to see physical changes through switching over to a whole foods healthy diet but I want to encourage you to experience personal growth and the freedom of self-reliance when it comes to meal prep. It will become so routine the more you practice it, that you will be surprised you waited so long to start doing this.

Have a wonderful & blessed day!

                              

Carrot & Arame Salad

Hello everyone, I know I have been away for the last week but there was some sad family news and I didn't feel to write or cook much for the last few days.
I am back with a new recipe, I know it's got a funky ingredient, looks a bit strange, but trust me, it's good and uber healthy! This is a throwback to my vegetarian/macrobiotic days. Yes, I have eaten in as many healthy ways as possible. I was eating at one of my old veggie restaurants and they had this wonderful seaweed salad, it was new to me but I like to keep my heart and soul young by having new experiences, so I went on a taste bud adventure. I went nuts and returned every day for a week to indulge in it because I could not get enough! Then I went back home and recreated a version of it with a bit less Tamari and the addition of carrots, it was perfect!
I discovered seaweed when I started researching the macrobiotic diet and reading some of Michio Kushi's books about it, along with Kristina Turner's guide. I had a bunch of other books on the subject and I grew to really appreciate the health benefits of this gift from the ocean. Here's a little background information on Arame, and if you are interested in Macrobiotic food, I am leaving links down below to help you explore. The recipe follows this short blurb, I really hope you are brave and try something new, this recipe has been a staple for 17 years now.


Arame:
Arame Sea Vegetable is a brown algae cultivated off the shores of Ise (ee-say) Bay, Japan where it thrives in cool waters of the arctic Japan current. The sea there is surrounded by National forests and mountains and is known as the 'Ocean by Mountains' area. Rivers nourish the bay adding to a mineral rich environment. This area leads all of Japan in ecology movements. Development is forbidden to ensure future generations the legacy of this famous edible seaweed resource. Only the most tender fronds of arame are selected and hand harvested in the summer. The fronds are washed and sun dried. After drying, the fronds are then steamed for five hours to soften it and enhance its color, then finely shredded to make it easy to use and quick to prepare before naturally air drying.

Eden Arame Eisenia bicyclis is a wavy sea vegetable with two thin, oval fronds. Each year fronds are shed and new ones develop creating a branched and feathery plant. Although, when dried and cooked arame resembles hiziki in color and appearance, it is softer, more delicate and much milder in flavor. Arame is the sweetest all the sea vegetables with a pleasing texture and appearance. These qualities make it the most appealing to those just beginning to familiarize their palate with sea vegetables.

Arame has been a traditional part of the Japanese diet since ancient times. Eden Arame is low in sodium, low calorie, and fat and cholesterol free. It is a good source of magnesium and calcium. According to the FDA, "Low fat diets rich in fruits and vegetables (foods that are low in fat and may contain dietary fiber, Vitamin A, or Vitamin C) may reduce the risk of some types of cancer, a disease associated with many factors." Eden Arame is rich in dietary fiber and a good source of vitamin A. Also, "Diets low in sodium may reduce the risk of hypertension or high blood pressure, a disease associated with many factors."

Eden Arame may be cooked with whole grains, in soups, stir fries, vegetable dishes, homemade breads, stuffing, salads, croquettes, and in making grain, tofu and tempeh burgers. Arame doubles in size when cooked. To use, rinse quickly, soak for 5 minutes in cold water, chop if desired, and add to your recipe. Eden Arame makes an excellent side dish when cooked with sautéed sweet vegetables, seasoned with Eden Ume Plum Vinegar or Brown Rice Vinegar and Eden Shoyu Soy Sauce.

http://www.edenfoods.com/store/arame-sea-vegetable-wild-hand-harvested.html 

Additional info from Wiki:

Arame is high in calcium, iodine, iron, magnesium, and vitamin A as well as being a dietary source of many other minerals^. It also is harvested for alginate, fertilizer and iodide^. It contains the storage polysaccharide laminarin and the tripeptide eisenin, a peptide with immunological activity.
Lignan content in arame is noted by several sources. It also contains the phlorotannins phlorofucofuroeckol A, dioxinodehydroeckol, fucofuroeckol A, eckol, dieckol, triphloroethol A and 7-phloroethol. Extracts of this algae have been tested to combat MRSA staph infections.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arame 

(I actually used Koyo brand arame for this recipe because they did not have Eden brand arame in stock. Both are great companies and their quality of arame is equally good, feel free to use either one.)

 Macrobiotic info:

http://www.kushiinstitute.org/

http://www.kushiinstitute.org/what-is-macrobiotics/

http://www.macrobiotics.co.uk/foodlist.htm

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/popularhealthdiets/a/Macrobiotic.htm

One of my fav. Macrobiotic books for those new to this lifestyle and diet, it is fun, you can write in it, and it gives a great breakdown with simple, nourishing recipes.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Self-Healing-Cookbook-Macrobiotic/dp/0945668104

This is another great primer for Macrobiotics by the founder of it all.

http://www.amazon.ca/The-Macrobiotic-Way-Michio-Kushi/dp/1583331808

CARROT & ARAME SALAD
(I do ask that this recipe be done with all organic ingredients, to maximize the health benefits & experience the best flavour. As always, do what you can.)

Ingredients:
8-10 Organic carrots, peeled
Handful of soaked Arame
1/4 Cup Organic Tamari gluten free
3Tbsp Organic Apple Cider vinegar
1-2 tsp Organic sesame oil

Method:
-In a bowl, place a good handful of Arame and cover with water, allow to soak for 15 minutes
-Prepare your carrots by cutting into medium sized matchsticks. The pictures below show the process of getting them that size.
-Rinse carrots in cold water and lightly pat dry, reserve(keep aside), in a bowl.
-Grab the bowl of Arame, you will notice it has softened and really expanded. Using a mesh strainer, strain and Rinse in cold water the Arame seaweed.
-Shake off excess water, gently mix the seaweed in with carrots.
-Add sesame oil, vinegar, Tamari, and toss gently.
-Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.
-Eat as is or as a side dish, this is a great accompaniment to more heavy foods but I love it so much that I usually eat it on its own.

Enjoy, leave your comments below & don't forget to subscribe!

Marinated Asian Cucumbers

Helloodles everybody!
I have been running errands and doing a multitude of things which have kept me rather busy the last few days. I wanted to post a recipe for something super easy, not long to make, and taste bud delightful.
I make these marinated Asian pickles when ever I want to brighten up a meal or am craving something pickled that tastes a bit different from the usual store bought dills.
I make a huge portion because my family zips through these so fast, I wouldn't get any if I didn't. The recipe calls for a much smaller portion which is perfect for a mason jar, not the small jam size but more the medium pickling size. We have these big glass jars left over from the pickles my mom loves that are very briny-yuck to me but one person's candy is another person's poison. Anywhoodles, I always ask her to save me the jars and she does so I get to re-purpose them for loads of D.I.Y projects and recipes. I know you will like these, they don't last as long as typical pickles but that's not such a bad thing, I find they taste best the first 48 hours; ours are eaten up within 3 days so I can't really tell you how long they would last but I would suggest up to 5-7 days max. Here you go...

MARINATED ASIAN PICKLES:

Ingredients:
-1 pkg Slim baby cucumbers(8-10 small), cut up on different angles to give a bit of a funky shape, leave the skins on them.
-2/3 Cup Rice vinegar
-1/4 Gluten-free Tamari sauce or Coconut aminos
-1 -3 Tbsp Fish seasoning (this is optional, add more Tamari if you omit but I like the extra sour tang it adds)
-1/4 Cup Organic Coconut sugar aka palm sugar, you can use more depending on how sweet/sour you like your pickles to be. Just taste your pickling mix after all is made and add what you want a stronger or milder taste of taste of before throwing in the pickles.
-1/4 Cup hot water (You can add more if it's too vinegary. Rice vinegar strength varies from brand to brand, so sometimes more water is needed and sometimes less)
-1 tsp Kosher salt
-1 Tbsp Black sesame seeds

Method:
-Add all ingredients, except the cucumber, in the jar (ignore the sesame oil in the pic below, he was lonely and snuck in to hang with his friends). Shake well, taste and adjust the seasonings to your preference but only 1 tsp to 1 Tbsp at a time of each ingredient. Salt starts with way less because you can add but you cannot take away. If you find it's not vinegary enough add another Tbsp.
-Some people like their pickles sweet, vinegary, with a bit of heat. Feel free to ass 1 tsp hot chili sauce if you like.
-Once the seasoning is to your taste, add the pickles, tightly screw the cover, shake it up, then refrigerate overnight; making sure to shake it every 2 hours for the first 6 hours.
-Serve them as a side dish to fish, meat, vegetarian dishes, even add them to a regular salad or eat a few just like that but be warned, they are addictive!

I know this recipe is a bit, add a dash here, a touch there, but the truth is that pickles are a personal thing. I can't stand bread and butter pickles because I prefer a sour tang pickle but one of my friends just adores them and can polish off a whole jar-whoa la!!
I like dill, sour, and crispy snap, my mom prefers brine and garlicky, my son likes dill, garlic and hot peppers, my man likes what ever you give him because he is wonderfully non fussy. I say, PLAY!
I think that's what I enjoy the most about this recipe, the flavours are different and can be tailored, but the real kicker is adding that soy and rice vinegar which couples beautifully with the black sesame.






I ate mine on a salad and they tasted so good, we also served them with some black rice noodles I found but I will post a recipe with those another day. Remember to share with those you love, leave your comments below and don't forget to subscribe!